The Intervention
by AlecGman
Summary: What if Dale never died? This story tells the tale about what would happen if he never died. In my opinion, of course.
1. The Intervention

Dale sat on top of his RV, pondering about what the group was going to do to Randall. _They can't. I know Shane can, but Rick?_ Dale continued to sit on his lawn chair, observing the field. The moon shone brightly onto the grassy landscape. Dale stared into the woods as he thought he saw movement. Dale squinted and looked at something moving through the woods. Dale aimed his rifle at the being, but it disappeared into the forest. _What the hell was that?_ Dale slung the rifle back over his shoulder and climbed down the RV.

"What're you doing, Dale?" A female voice called out.

Dale turned towards the woman. "Oh, I'm just gonna go for a walk."

"Are you sure you don't want anyone to come with you?"

Dale gave the woman a reassuring smile. "Lori, it's okay."

Lori chuckled and shook her head. Dale smiled and turned back towards the direction of the woods. He began to slowly walk through the field. After traveling halfway through the field, Dale heard a strange noise. Dale quickly pulled the rifle off of his shoulder and held it in both hands. He slowly crept towards what was making the noise. Dale moved closer to the source of the sound and saw a man lying on the ground.

"Dale, hel.." The man said, reaching towards him.

Dale recognized the man, but before he could do anything. He noticed the walker feasting on the man. He aimed his rifle at the walker, but the walker lunged at Dale, causing him to fall. The rifle fell out of his hands as he collapsed. He noticed the walker tugging at his feet and tried to crawl away, but the walker just kept pulling him towards it. Dale began yelling to get the group's attention.

"Help!" Dale yelled out.

Rick heard the familiar voice and lowered his gun. "Hold him."

Daryl acknowledged Rick and Shane ran out of the barn. They began to race towards Dale's cries for help. The walker climbed onto Dale and began to claw at him. Dale was barely holding the walker off, due to his weakness. His eyes widened as he noticed it's hands get closer to his abdomen. He closed his eyes and braced for death. He felt the walker pushed off of him and it's body fell to the side of him. He looked over and saw Rick beating it with his revolver.

"Thank you." Dale shuddered.

Rick turned towards Dale and held his hand out to him. Dale took his hand and stood to his feet. The rest of the group was running towards Dale and Rick.

"Dale! Are you alright?!" Glenn yelled.

"I'm okay, Glenn!" Dale yelled back.

Dale almost fell to the ground as Glenn charged into him, giving him a large hug. Dale hugged Glenn back and sighed to himself. Glenn let go and looked behind him at the rest of the group.

"Are you sure you're okay?" T-Dog asked.

"It's alright. I'm alright." Dale looked back towards the man. "Help him."

Rick noticed the man as well and held up his lantern. He recognized the man and stared in shock. Dale noticed footsteps running towards him and saw Hershel making his way towards them.

"What's going on?" Hershel said, panting.

"Hershel, it's Jimmy."

Hershel stood next to Rick and looked down at the body of Jimmy. He kneeled down and felt Jimmy's neck. He sighed and held his hand up to his eyes in sadness. The rest of the group just looked on as Hershel closed Jimmy's eyes.

"What now, Hershel?" Rick said, trying to think.

Hershel looked back towards Rick. "I'll tell Beth. I want you to bury him. We'll have a funeral for him in the morning at dawn."

Rick shook his head and Hershel shook his. Hershel stood to his feet and slowly walked back towards the farmhouse. Dale just watched Hershel walk away. After he was far enough away, he noticed his rifle on the ground and picked it up. A loud gunshot was heard and Dale looked behind him to see Rick holding his Colt Python with smoke emerging from the barrel. Dale walked up to Rick.

"Come on. We can finish this tomorrow."

Rick shook his head and followed Dale and the rest of the group back to the farmhouse. Glenn stopped as he realized something was wrong. He looked at Dale and then back at the place where he fell. He walked over to the spot where Dale fell and saw his fisherman's hat. He picked it up and held it tightly in his hands. _If you exist, don't you dare try to take him away again, God._ Glenn turned around and followed the group back to the farmhouse, as well as the makeshift campsite. Dale walked towards the RV, but before he could climb up the ladder, Lori stopped him and hugged him.

"Please don't do that again." Lori said, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lori." Dale said, patting her on the back.

Lori let go and looked at Dale. She sighed. "We still have Randall to deal with."

"We're going to let him go. I'm not letting Rick just execute him, like an animal."

Dale heard footsteps behind him and he knew exactly who it was. He sighed and turned around to see Shane.

"Hey, Lori. Can Dale and I talk for a minute?"

Lori nodded and walked away.

"Come on, let's talk in the RV, or are you too scared?"

Dale didn't say anything. Instead, he just walked towards his Winnebago and opened the door. He walked inside and Shane followed him inside with a lantern. They sat down at the table. Shane sighed and chuckled.

"You were damn lucky that thing killed Jimmy and not you."

Dale just stared at Shane.

Shane chuckled once more. "I wish I could send a whole army of those walkers after you, but I can't. Yeah, you can tell Rick what I'm telling you now, but he won't believe you."

"He'll listen to reason."

"Will he? He seems pretty confident in his decision. I say he's makin' the right one."

Dale just stared at Shane once more.

Shane sighed in frustration. "We're gettin' this thing done and there's nothing you can do about it, you understand?"

Dale didn't respond.

"You damn stubborn old man." Shane shook his head. "I don't care about what happens to you, but Lori ain't goin' anywhere. Yeah, I know you've been talking to her, about me."

"You could kill me now. Why don't you?"

Shane chuckled. "See, I'm not that stupid. I would be caught then.

Dale just stared at Shane with disbelief.

Shane looked away and sighed. He stood up and grabbed his lantern. "I'm gonna make sure you don't survive the next day." Shane said, pointing his finger.

Shane dimmed the lantern and exited the RV, leaving Dale in darkness. _What am I going to do?_


	2. The following day

Dale couldn't sleep that night, not after what Shane threatened. The next morning, the group gathered around a stone pile, sitting next to Otis. Hershel was dressed in a suit and was carrying his bible. Despite knowing how death felt before, Dale couldn't help but feel saddened, despite not knowing him very well. Before Hershel started speaking, Dale noticed that Shane was standing abnormally close to him. _He's going to try._ Dale walked towards Rick and stood next to him. Rick looked over at Dale.

"What're you doin'?" Rick whispered.

"I need to talk to you."

"After."

Dale nodded and looked at Hershel, staring at him.

"Father, I pray that you watch over Jimmy. He may have been young, but I know it wasn't in vain." Hershel walked towards the grave and placed a rock on the pile.

The rest of the group did the same thing, except for Dale and Shane.

"Come on, Dale. You first." Shane said, chuckling.

Dale didn't answer; instead, he began to slowly move forward, constantly looking behind him towards Shane, who had a big grin on his face. Dale turned around and placed a rock. Shane quickly walked up next to him and placed a rock down as well. Rick walked up to Dale.

"Come on, you wanted to talk, let's talk."

Dale nodded and followed Rick to the barn. Rick climbed up the ladder and motioned for Dale to follow him. Dale climbed up the ladder and looked at the entrance to the barn. Despite the doors being shut, Dale felt uncertain.

"What did you want to talk about?" Rick said, getting impatient.

Dale looked out the top window of the barn to see Shane facing the barn, but not walking towards it.

"Dale?"

"Sorry, um, I need to tell you about Shane."

Rick sighed. "Don't do this again, Dale."

"You don't understand. He threatened to kill me last night, that's why I as wary. "

"Shane would never do that. He's my friend."

"You know he isn't the same. Don't you?"

Rick looked down at the ground, but didn't answer.

"You need to talk to him, Dale."

Dale stared at Rick. "I just told you, you're the only one that can talk to him. Please, Rick, he's becoming dangerous."

Rick nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you."

As Rick walked towards the ladder, Dale patted him on the shoulder. Rick chuckled and climbed down the ladder. Dale looked through the window to see that Shane was gone. Dale held his rifle close as he knew Shane was close. Dale walked over to the large window to see the group back at the campsite. _I have to get back to them._ Dale thought about jumping out the window, but he knew his legs wouldn't be able to sustain the force. Dale heard rapid footsteps running through the inside of the barn and quick climbing of the ladder. Dale didn't look behind him as he knew exactly who it was. Dale didn't want to do it, but he jumped out of the window. Instead of landing on his legs, he landed on his back. His head hit the ground, but not too hard. He looked up to see Shane holding a pistol and looking down at him. Dale quickly stood up, but yelled in pain as his right leg felt broken. His left, however, was just fine. Dale began to limp towards the campsite, with Shane in close pursuit. Surprisingly, instead of Shane shooting him, Shane began to help him make his way towards the camp.

"Dale, oh my god, are you okay?!" Glenn said, running towards him.

"Glenn, get Hershel."

Glenn shook his head and went to get Hershel, but Hershel was already making his way towards Dale and Shane.

"What happened?" Hershel asked.

"I-" Dale began.

"He fell out of the window. I was walking around there and saw him fall."

Glenn had a feeling that Shane was lying, but he wasn't sure. _Dale isn't dumb enough to accidentally fall._

"Get him inside, I'll take a look at him." Hershel said, grabbing Dale's other arm.

Hershel and Shane practically dragged Dale inside the house and onto one of the couches.

"Which leg hurts?" Hershel asked.

"My right leg."

Hershel rolled up Dale's pant leg and saw that it was bruised. He felt it, but Dale yelled in pain.

"The good thing is that it isn't broken, just bruised. You'll have to stay off of your feet for a couple of days."

"It's a good thing we found you before you died again, huh?" Shane said, beginning to chuckle.

Dale just stared at him.

"I'll stay with him, you get the group in here."

Hershel nodded and walked outside of the house. Shane sat next to Dale.

"Really, you told him I was becoming dangerous? How stupid can you possibly be? You just broke your own leg by falling out of that barn."

"I was trying to escape from you."

"Well, it looks like it didn't work, now did it?"

Dale just stared at him.

"Stop doin' that. Just answer me."

Before violence could escalate, T-Dog and Glenn walked into the room, carrying heavy blue bins.

"Hey, Shane, can you help, please?" Glenn asked, struggling with the bin.

"Sure thing." Shane said, standing up.

Shane helped Glenn put the bin upstairs and T-Dog was close behind them. Glenn came downstairs and looked at Dale. Dale didn't even need to ask as Glenn sat next to him.

"I almost forgot. You dropped this yesterday." Glenn handed Dale his fisherman's hat.

"Thanks, Glenn."

"I can sit with you, if you want."

"No, don't worry about me. Help everyone else."

Glenn nodded, but didn't get up. Dale looked at Glenn.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't leave you alone. Not after today. Please, I want to sit here."

Dale nodded. "I can't stop you."

Glenn couldn't help himself, but he leaned on Dale and gave him a big hug, very similar to the previous day. Dale hugged Glenn back and heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He saw Shane walking down the final steps, looking at him.

"Aw, ain't that adorable."

"Shut up, man." Glenn said, chuckling.

Before Shane did anything else, Rick walked into the room.

"Shane, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Shane followed Rick outside and towards the barn. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about your behavior."

"What's wrong with it?"

"You're becoming reckless." Rick sighed. "Dale noticed it."

"Oh, really? You're going to take an old man's word over your best friend's?"

Shane began to stomp away.

"Shane, stop!"

Shane stopped and looked at Rick with frustration. "What?! What do you want to talk about? My problems? What about yours, huh? Lori is your problem!"

Rick sighed. "What?"

"You think that she's your problem! How stupid can you be?!"

Before the argument could escalate further, Rick and Shane noticed Daryl running towards them.

"Daryl, what's wrong?"

"Randall's gone." Daryl said, angered.


	3. The Battle

The day passed by and nothing could be found on Randall. Not a single trace as to how he disappeared. Dale was on one of Hershel's couches, feeling his sprained leg. He could see Rick talking with Shane outside. He knew what they were talking about. They wanted to know where Randall went.

Rick observed the sun and noticed it was starting to fall behind the mountain. Shane tapped him on the shoulder.

"Look, I found a trail, but you have to follow me."

"Are you sure? Can you show me?"

"Come on."

Rick followed Shane to the edge of the woods and saw footprints. "Told you."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Rick heard footsteps behind him and saw T-Dog, Glenn, and Daryl coming towards them.

"You found somethin'?" Daryl said, looking at Rick.

"Yeah, but if we're going to find Randall, we need to split up. We'll be able to cover more ground that way."

"Ok, so who's goin' with who?"

"Shane comes with me. T-Dog, Glenn, you guys go with Daryl and see what you can find."

"On it." T-Dog said, following Glenn and Daryl into the woods.

"You first, buddy." Shane said, pointing in another direction.

Rick was skeptical, but went in the direction where Shane was pointing anyway. Rick sighed and walked into the woods, with Shane closely behind him.

After an hour of walking through the woods, Shane and Rick came across a large field. Rick started to walk across it, but at about the halfway point, he noticed Shane stop. Rick stopped and held his hand tightly on his revolver. He heard an all too familiar click and turned around. Just as he figured, his best friend was holding him at gunpoint.

"Is this where you wanted to do it?" Rick said, beginning to feel saddened.

"It's a good place as any."

Rick paused. "Why, brother, why?"

"Like I said, Lori's my problem, not yours. Get your hand away from your gun."

Rick raised his other hand in the air as well. Shane began to walk towards him.

"Listen, I'm going to hand it to you, ok?" Rick said, carefully reaching for his revolver.

Shane, with wide eyes, kept his gun locked on Rick, ready to fire. Rick slowly pulled out his revolver and began to hand it towards Shane. Shane looked confused for a moment and took his eyes off of Rick. Rick knew he had an opportunity. He quickly flipped it and fired at Shane. Shane staggered back and screamed in pain. Rick noticed that he had shot off Shane's right ear. Shane fired back at Rick, but due to his pain, he missed every shot. Rick fired at Shane again, this time, hitting him in the abdomen. Rick walked up to Shane, trying to hold his tears back.

"This was you! Not me!" Rick said, as he began to choke Shane.

A minute passed and Rick killed Shane. Rick paused for a moment and looked at his revolver. He began to wail as he realized what he had just done. He took a couple deep breaths and staggered to his feet. He heard another all too familiar click and turned around; it was his son, Carl. Carl had his pistol trained on his father.

"Carl, listen. It's not what it looks like."

Rick began to move towards his son with extreme caution. He looked at Carl's eyes and only saw fear. Carl fired a gunshot and Rick closed his eyes for a moment. He quickly realized that he wasn't dead. He turned around to see Shane's body fall to the ground. _The disease._ Carl eyes began to well up and he ran into his father's arms.

"It's okay, Carl. It's okay." Rick said, tugging at his son.

"He…He."

"I know, son. Let's get back to camp and never speak of what happened today."

Carl slightly nodded and Rick gave a small smile. Rick began walking back towards the farm, with Carl next to him.

After about a minute of walking, Rick felt that something was off. He didn't know how to explain it, something was just off about the property. He had a sudden urge to look behind him and when he did, his mouth opened widely.

"Carl, come on, don't stop running!" Rick yelled, running towards the house.

Rick quickly realized that there were walkers making their way towards the house as well. Rick diverted towards the barn and shut its doors. Walkers were beginning to pound on the barn door, trying to get inside. Rick looked through the cracks of the old wood and could see Hershel and Daryl clearly arming themselves, but he couldn't see anything else.

Dale hobbled onto the porch and was shocked at how many walkers he saw. They were coming in from all directions. Dale saw quick movement near the barn and he aimed his sniper rifle towards the two people. His eyes grew wide as he knew who they were. _Rick and Carl? Where the hell is Shane?_ Dale lowered his rifle to see Daryl loading his crossbow and Hershel placing shells into his shotgun.

"Hershel, we need to go." A female voice called out.

"This is my farm, I'll die here." Hershel said, determined.

"Well, it's a good night as any." Daryl said, optimistically.

Before a conversation could continue, the barn caught fire. Dale knew that Carl and Rick wouldn't be able to survive that. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and hobbled towards his RV, with T-Dog following him.

"T? Don't help me, I'm fine."

"Really? You going alone, with that leg? Uh Uh." T-Dog said, holding his hand out for the keys.

Dale reluctantly handed T-Dog the keys and they both entered the RV. Dale sat in the passenger seat and groaned in pain. T-Dog started the RV and noticed that Glenn and everyone else, except for Hershel were getting into vehicles. He couldn't tell where Lori, Patricia, and Beth were however. Daryl started his motorcycle and led the charge towards the barn, with the RV in tow. Daryl stopped T-Dog in his tracks.

"T!"

T-Dog opened his window. "Yeah?"

"Rick or Shane must've started that fire. Go around and try to pick them up. Go now!"

T-Dog didn't hesitate. He drove towards the barn and saw Rick and Carl. Rick was yelling and pointing towards the ground. T-Dog understood and stopped underneath Rick and his son. As Rick and Carl boarded the RV, Dale heard walkers pounding on the RV door. _That's not going to hold._ Dale opened his passenger window.

"Rick, Carl, hold on!"

Rick knew what Dale meant and ducked Carl down.

"Go, T, go!" Dale yelled.

T-Dog drove once more and drove the RV around the barn and back towards the farmhouse. T-Dog stopped in front of the farmhouse and opened his window.

"Hershel, come on, man!" T-Dog yelled.

Hershel didn't even acknowledge T-Dog and continued to fire wildly. Rick and Carl climbed down the ladder.

"Carl, get in the RV, I'll meet you there."

Carl nodded and entered the RV. Rick noticed walkers closing in on Hershel. He killed the walkers, but ran out of ammo. Hershel stared at Rick.

"They don't stop coming, Rick!"

"Hershel, did you see Lori?"

"Yes, she left with Beth, Maggie and Glenn. Patricia didn't make it."

"Did you see where she was going?"

"No!"

Rick sighed and noticed that the vehicles containing his group disappeared. "We've gotta go.

"It's my farm, I'm staying." Hershel said, failing at his attempts to fight Rick.

"Come on!"

Rick opened the door and Hershel reluctantly entered. Rick quickly followed him and urged for T-Dog to drive. T-Dog hesitated, but began to drive. Hershel walked to the back of the RV towards his farm. He saw the barn collapse and the walkers begin to make their way onto his property. Hershel couldn't help but cry as the farm quickly became distant.

Dale turned to face Carl and Rick at the dinner table. Carl was clearly crying and Rick was holding Carl in his arms. Dale sighed and looked ahead of him, hoping that others made it to the highway.


	4. What now?

T-Dog continued to drive away from the farm. He drove, even into the early light of the morning. T-Dog looked over at Dale, who had fallen unconscious. _Huh, old man needs his nap._ T-Dog looked in the rearview mirror to see Rick and Carl.

"How're you doing, Carl?" T-Dog said, concerned.

Carl looked at T-Dog with a re-assuring smile. T-Dog chuckled and continued to drive. Rick looked in the back of the RV to see Hershel sitting on one of the beds.

"Carl, I'm gonna check on Hershel, stay here, okay?"

Carl nodded his head in acknowledgement. Rick smiled and stood up. He walked to the back of the RV and sat down next to Hershel.

"I'm sorry about your losses, Hershel."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Rick. It was my own damn fault."

T-Dog noticed the highway in front of him and woke Dale up. Dale rubbed his eyes and looked out through the windshield.

"We made it, T."

T-Dog chuckled. "No, you were taking a nap."

Dale gave T-Dog a sarcastic look. "A nap is benefical."

T-Dog laughed. "Right. Of course it is."

Dale rolled his eyes and looked towards the highway once more. T-Dog stopped the RV next to car where they wrote the message for Sophia. Rick walked to the front of the RV.

"Do you guys see anyone?"

"No, it's just us." Dale responded.

"They're probably on their way, let's wait here."

T-Dog nodded and turned off the RV. T-Dog looked at Dale's leg.

"How does that feel?"

"Like it's broken."

T-Dog nodded. "Since you're just going to sit here, can I use that rifle?"

Dale nodded and gave T-Dog his rifle. "Be careful with her."

T-Dog smiled. "She won't get a scratch."

Rick and Carl exited the RV first, with T-Dog and Hershel close behind them. T-Dog climbed up the ladder of the RV. Hershel observed his surroundings and turned towards Rick.

"You should get your boy to safety. There's a building not too far from here that could be used as a temporary location to stay. I'll stay here. I'll hide in one of these cars. If the group shows up, I'll take them to you."

"I'm not leaving. Not if there's still a chance for them to still be out there. If you believe in your so-called God, show some goddamn faith!"

Hershel was silent. Rick sighed and walked away from Hershel, towards his son.

"Where's mom? You said she would be here!"

"I thought she was going to be, I'm sorry."

Carl felt like crying, he didn't, because he knew that he couldn't. Rick sighed and looked over at Hershel, who nodded at him.

Rick sighed once more. "Look, we're going to take Dale and the others to a safe place, ok?"

"We can't leave. Mom's still out there."

Rick closed his eyes for a moment. "I know that, Carl. It isn't safe here."

Before Carl could speak, he heard the sounds of engines.

"They're here, Rick!" T-Dog said, looking through the scope of the rifle.

Rick noticed Daryl on his motorcycle with Carol behind him. He also noticed Otis's truck, with Lori, Maggie, and Beth inside. He also noticed that Glenn was riding in the bed of the truck. Rick smiled as he saw Lori running towards him. She gave him a big hug, as well as Carl, who joined in.

"Wait, where's Andrea?" Glenn asked, looking around.

Dale heard Glenn and opened his passenger window.

"She was separated from us. I saw one of them fall on her, I'm sorry to say, but she's dead."

Dale's mouth was agape. The other person he was willing to die for, was not here anymore. He put his hands on his head and began to sob.

"Is Dale okay?" Glenn said, waiting to hear Rick's response.

"Yeah, he's fine. His ankle is still sprained from yesterday."

Glenn sighed in relief.

"What now, Rick? We've lost my farm and now the group is back. Where do we go from here?" Hershel asked.

Rick's turned towards Hershel and then back towards the rest of the group. "We're going to travel as far as we can towards Fort…" Rick paused for a moment.

"Fort Benning?" Glenn asked.

"No, it's overrun."

"Wait, how do you know that?" T-Dog asked, confused.

"The trouble that we ran into a couple of days ago, there were people that told us that Fort Benning has been overrun."

"Where do we go?"

Rick rubbed his head. "I don't know. If we go into the next town, we can scavenge supplies, possibly some fuel. Maybe we can hide out there for a couple of days."

"Sound like our best bet." Daryl said, agreeing with Rick.

"So, is that our heading?" T-Dog asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I guess so."

T-Dog climbed down the RV's ladder and walked back into the RV.

"What vehicles should we take, Rick?" Glenn asked.

"We're taking the RV, just the RV."

"Are we all going to fit in there?"

"Rick, we should take another vehicle, just in case." Hershel suggested.

Rick nodded and looked towards Glenn. "Take Otis's truck."

"Maggie can ride with you if you want that." Hershel suggested once more.

Glenn nodded. "That sound great. Thanks, Hershel."

Hershel nodded and smiled. Rick walked towards the RV and opened the door. Lori walked in with Carl closely behind her. Hershel entered the RV next, with Carol following him. Rick looked at Daryl.

"Nah, I've got Merle's bike."

Rick nodded and entered the RV, shutting the door behind him. T-Dog started the RV and Daryl started his bike. Daryl began to drive and T-Dog followed Daryl. Glenn started his truck and followed the RV.

After a whole day of driving, the group came across nothing, but woods on all sides. Glenn noticed a clicking sound and honked the horn. T-Dog heard and stopped the RV. Daryl noticed that the group stopped and he stopped his motorcycle. T-Dog turned off the RV and looked at Dale, who was still depressed.

"Dale, I'm sorry about Andrea. She was a good woman. I won't forget her."

Dale sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I know she's gone."

T-Dog smiled and patted Dale on the shoulder. "It'll be alright, don't worry."

Dale nodded and stood up. T-Dog looked at Dale.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Dale nodded. "I'm fine, I can walk."

T-Dog nodded and followed Rick and the others out of the RV. Dale was the last one out and he closed the door.

"What's wrong, Glenn?" Rick asked.

Glenn sighed. "It's almost out of fuel. I can't keep going, not on this tank."

Rick nodded and tapped the truck. "You can ride in the RV."

Glenn turned the truck off and exited the truck, with Maggie exiting as well.

Rick rubbed his head. "We're gonna camp here for the night."

"On the road?" Hershel asked, concerned.

"We have the RV, it can fit all of us." Dale added.

"Is this what you want to do, Rick?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Hershel nodded.

"Alright, everyone. Pile in." Rick said, opening the door.

The group piled into the RV, but before Rick entered, he looked at Dale, standing next to him.

"Come on, Dale."

"I want to talk to you for a minute."

Rick nodded and closed the door.

Dale sighed. "What happened to Shane?"

Rick sighed. "He…You were right. He tried to kill me." Rick sniffled. "I…I had to kill him. I didn't want to."

Dale nodded and gave Rick and hug. "It'll be alright, Rick. It'll be alright."

The RV door opened and Lori peered out. "Rick, are you coming inside?"

Rick quickly wiped the tears away. "Yeah, just a minute."

Lori gave Rick and concerned look, but nevertheless, closed the door.

"We'll figure something out. I know we will." Dale said, placing a hand on Rick's shoulder.

Rick nodded and turned towards the RV. He opened the door and entered. Dale followed and closed the door behind him. Dale walked to the back, where T-Dog and Glenn were sleeping. Dale lied on the floor and closed his eyes, hoping that tomorrow, would be a better day.

 **P.S. This is the end of the Season 2 arc. The next episode will take place in what would be Season 3.**


	5. Eight months later

Eight months later, the group had found nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Dale drove the RV down the desolate road, with Daryl in front of him, riding his motorcycle. Dale looked at his watch. _1:03 P.M. Still nothing._

"Dale, stop the RV." Rick ordered.

Dale nodded and stopped the RV. Rick grabbed the map sitting on the table and walked outside, with Dale, Hershel, Glenn, and T-Dog right behind him.

"Daryl! Come over here for a second."

Daryl nodded and turned off his bike. He walked over to the rest of the group. Rick placed the map on the RV.

"I've noticed that we've gone down this road at least 10 times now. It just seems that every town we go to is just infested with the walkers."

"What about this town?" Hershel said, pointing at a town on the map.

"Daryl and I searched through that one. There was nothing." Glenn spoke up.

"We just need to find a place for Lori to have the baby." Dale said, calmly.

"Yeah, I was thinking about clearing Hershel's farm, but it's just too far gone by this point."

T-Dog tapped Rick on the shoulder. "Can I fill these jugs down by the stream? We can boil it later."

"Yeah, take Daryl with you."

T-Dog nodded and signaled for Daryl to follow him. Daryl scoffed, but followed T-Dog into the woods. After a minute of walking, T-Dog and Daryl came across train tracks.

"If only we had a train, huh?"

Daryl didn't answer and walked down the train tracks. T-Dog was a little slower than Daryl, so he had to run in order to catch up with him. Daryl noticed a large opening and turned. He was staring at something. T-Dog looked over as well and accidentally dropped his jug.

"Should we tell Rick?" T-Dog asked, concerned.

Daryl chuckled. "Hell yeah."

T-Dog and Daryl walked back to the RV and Rick looked at them. "What'd you find?"

"Rick, I think we might've found a place for Lori to have the baby."

Rick cocked his head in confusion. "What?"

"Follow me, I'll show you."

Rick shook his head. "Alright, everyone. Back in the RV."

The group piled into the RV and Dale turned the vehicle on. Daryl turned his motorcycle on and began to drive down the road once again. Dale followed Daryl for about 5 minutes, before they came across a fairly obscure trail. The survivors traveled for another 5 minutes, before they came across two watchtowers and a gate. Rick looked through the RV windshield to see the perfect location for Lori.

"A prison?" Dale said, surprised.

T-Dog looked over at him and smiled.

Daryl stopped his bike and walked towards the gate. He slid it open, but didn't open the second gate. Dale noticed the walkers covering the courtyard and knew they wouldn't be able to take it over easily. Dale turned off the RV and exited the RV, along with T-Dog, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, and Rick.

"So, what do you want to do?" Daryl asked.

"We're going to clear this out. We can stay here tonight."

"Rick, we're dangerously low on ammo. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hershel asked, concerned.

"We'll make it, Hershel. We'll make it."

Rick turned towards Dale. "Dale, I want you to go up into the watchtower and kill as many as you can. Glenn, go up there with him."

Dale nodded and entered the large metal door leading to the watchtower, with Glenn right behind him. Dale climbed to the top of the watchtower and took the rifle off of his shoulder. He looked through the scope to count the walkers that he could see. He lowered his rifle and observed Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl killing walkers in the courtyard, with Hershel, Maggie, and Carl distracting a few other walkers. Dale pointed his rifle and shot at least 15 walkers, before he ran out of ammunition. Dale reached into his pocket and felt one last round. He loaded the rifle and pointed it at the last walker in the courtyard. He took a breath and fired. The walker fell to the ground with a thump. T-Dog couldn't help himself. He began to laugh and cheer.

"Wooh!" T-Dog yelled, with his arms raised in victory.

That night, the group sat around a campfire. Dale saw Rick observing the fence, but it was his third time around. Dale stood up and walked over to him.

"Rick, come sit by the fire. This is your third check."

"I can't be too sure anymore, Dale."

"If there was anything wrong, it would've happened. Please, Lori needs you. As well as Carl."

Rick sighed. He walked passed Dale and sat down next to Lori and Carl. T-Dog passed a bowl of meat to Rick, who took a piece. He handed the bowl to Lori.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Rick didn't move and kept the bowl in front of her. Lori sighed and grabbed a piece of the meat.

"Beth, can you sing for us?" Hershel asked, softly.

"No, I can't." Beth said, nervously.

"Come on, Beth. You have a beautiful singing voice. Can you sing for us, please? At least for me?"

Beth sighed. She cleared her throat. "Of all the money, that e'er I had, I spent it in good company."

Hershel smiled.

"And all the harm I've ever done, Alas it was to none but me. And all I've done for want of wit. To mem'ry now I can't recall. So fill to me the parting glass. Good night and joy be to you all."

She looked at Maggie, who gave her a re-assuring look.

"So fill to me the parting glass, And drink a health whate'er befall, And gently rise and softly call, Good night and joy be to you all. Of all the comrades that e'er I had, They're sorry for my going away, And all the sweethearts that e're I had, They'd wish me one more day to stay. But since it fell unto my lost, That I should rise and you should not. I gently rise and softly call, Good night and joy be to you all."

Maggie joined in.

"A man may drink and not be drunk, A man may fight and not be slain. A man may court a pretty girl. And perhaps be welcomed again. But since it has so ought to be. By a time to rise and a time to fall. Come fill to me the parting glass. Good night and joy be with you all. Good night and joy be with you all."

Hershel smiled and began to clap. The rest of the group joined in, except for Daryl. "That was wonderful."

"Thanks, daddy."

"We should probably turn in for the night. We have a lot of work tomorrow."

The group began to find their places to sleep and Lori cuddled up next to Rick.

"We're going to take this place, don't worry, Lori."

Lori nodded and leaned on Rick's shoulder. Her arms fell loose and fell off of Rick. Rick knew that she was asleep. Rick slowly leaned back onto the ground, with Lori in his arms. Rick closed his eyes and took one final breath, before the blackness overtook him once again.


	6. Deja Vu

Dale observed the beautiful lake and sighed in peace. He looked over to see his wife sitting next to him. She looked at him and smiled. He grabbed her hand and smiled as well. They continued to observe the lake.

"Why, Dale?" Irma asked.

Dale looked at her with confusion. "What, what's wrong?"

"Why did you kill me?"

Dale stared at her, shocked. "I didn't kill you."

"That's why I'm still roaming this accursed earth?"

Dale felt tears begin to flow. "Please stop this, I didn't hurt you. I would never do this to you."

Dale watched in horror as Irma faded from existence, leaving Dale to himself. Dale looked at his RV fade away. He watched as the world around him begin to fade away. He watched his feet fade away and it began to work its way towards Dale's head.

"Gah!" Dale yelled as he shook awake.

"You okay, man?" T-Dog asked, standing over him.

Dale looked at T-Dog and then rubbed his head. "Yeah, I just had a bad dream."

T-Dog shook his head and helped Dale to his feet.

"I was just about to wake you up; Rick wants to clear out the courtyard today, as well as the inside."

Dale nodded. "Well, let's hear what he has to say then."

T-Dog nodded and walked to where the rest of the group was. Dale grabbed his hat and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"Alright everyone, we're clearing out this prison. I don't care how long it takes, but we're doing it. I want T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl to come with me. Everyone else keep an eye out." Rick looked over at Dale. "Do you have ammo for that rifle?"

"No."

"I might have some." Daryl said, reaching into his pocket.

Daryl pulled out at least 5 rounds and placed them in Dale's hand.

"Alright, Dale. I want you to go into the watchtower and keep an eye on us. On my signal, we're going in. Go on, Dale."

Dale nodded and walked into the watchtower. He climbed to the top and loaded a round into the rifle chamber. He watched Rick lead the small group into the courtyard. He remembered their strategy for clearing out infested areas. He kept his rifle ready and watched the group clear out walkers, one by one. As soon as he saw Rick jump back and hide behind a wall, he quickly aimed his rifle at walkers pouring out of another courtyard. He almost pulled the trigger, but he heard Rick yelling for him not to. Dale couldn't stop himself as he continued to point the rifle. He saw a walker making its way towards Maggie and she didn't notice. Dale aimed his rifle towards it and fired. Glenn looked at the walker and then up at Dale. He smiled, but only for a second.

After a few more seconds, the courtyard had been cleared. Dale climbed down the stairs and out into the courtyard, where the rest of the group was.

"Dale, what the hell did I tell you?" Rick said, frustrated.

"There was a walker that was going to attack Maggie!" Dale argued.

"Hey, lay off, Rick." Glenn said, calmly.

Rick looked at Glenn with anger. "I'm just trying to keep my wife and son safe. Shooting will hurt those chances."

"He saved my daughter, Rick. Just leave it at that." Hershel said in his calm voice.

Rick sighed. "Fine, but we need to clear out the inside of this prison. We're all going to go in, but I'm leading the way."

Rick turned around and walked to a door. Rick opened it and walked inside, with T-Dog and Daryl by his sides. The group continued to walk, until they came across a cafeteria of some sort. The group then came across a large cell block that was surprisingly empty.

"T, Daryl, come with me. Everyone else, stay here." Rick ordered.

Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog entered the cell block and made sure to check every single cell. It was empty. Rick opened the cell door and the rest of the group piled in.

"Alright, I'm going to look around for some papers or something that'll tell us where the equipment is, especially the keys."

"I saw keys on the geeks outside. Should I grab them?" T-Dog asked.

"Hell yeah, go grab 'em." Rick said. "Take Daryl with you."

T-Dog nodded and ran with Daryl.

"So, what now?" Dale asked, concerned.

"Once they come back with the keys, we're going to clear this place. I want you to stay here."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Glenn added.

"I know that you need to people to explore this prison. How many do we have?"

"Plenty."

"Should I come with you?"

"No, I don't want you to risk your life again." Glenn said, remembering when Dale had sprained his ankle.

Dale nodded. "You need people, Rick. I may be old, but I can help you."

Rick heard footsteps. He knew who it was, but he drew his revolver. He saw T-Dog and Daryl running to them, with keys in their hands. Daryl handed Rick one of the keys.

"We actually found a room that had a map, as well as showing us where all the armor and shit is being held."

"Really?"

Daryl pulled out a map from his pocket. Rick chuckled.

"Good find."

"So, are we goin' or what?"

"Yeah, but, Dale's coming with us."

"Wait, what?!" Glenn asked, confused.

"Glenn, this isn't a discussion. I believe we should give him the opportunity."

Glenn sighed. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Dale."

"Alright, T, Glenn, Dale, Daryl, follow me. The rest of you, stay." Rick said, leading the group to another door.

Rick unlocked the door and entered. Rick killed the walkers that he saw as the group went deeper into the tunnels. Dale was behind the group, with his rifle in his hands. As the group passed a hall, Dale swore he heard a whispered "Hey, is someone there?" Dale's curiosity got the better of him and he started to walk down the hallway. He didn't even acknowledge the dead walker that he stepped over. As he continued to walk, the walker sprung to life and quickly bit Dale on the foot. The group ran down the corridor in seconds. Dale screamed as he fell to the ground. Glenn stared at Dale's leg with shock and covered his mouth. Rick noticed a door sealed with handcuffs.

"Daryl, cut those cuffs!" Rick yelled.

Rick and Glenn dragged Dale towards the door. Daryl broke the handcuffs and forced the door open. Dale was dragged into the room. Rick sighed as he knew what he could do. He pulled out a hatchet and took his belt off. He wrapped Dale's leg with the belt.

"Rick, what are you doing?!" Glenn said, shocked.

"This is the only way." Rick said, very certain about what he was doing.

Rick began to chop at Dale's leg and Dale screamed in pain. As Rick continued to chop at Dale's leg, Daryl heard walkers groaning and making their way towards them. Daryl slammed the door shut and looked at T-Dog.

"T, find something to block this door." Daryl yelled.

Dale looked at his amputated leg, but passed out from shock. As Rick was tending to the wound, T-Dog noticed figures in another room. He pointed his pistol and flashlight towards them. A man with a mustache was visible. He was staring wide-eyed at T-Dog. His eyes shifted to Rick, who was staring at them.

"Holy shit." The man said, shocked.

 **Author's note: I am aware that this is fairly similar to what happened to Hershel in Season 3, but I felt that it would have been similar even if Dale survived. Nevertheless, I apologize that I haven't updated this story for a while, but I will be spending more time on it.**


	7. Unexpected guests

Despite his distrust of new survivors, Rick had a new problem as of now.

"Everyone, grab Dale! We have to carry him back!" Rick ordered.

Daryl ran to help Rick while Glenn and T-Dog were preoccupied with other things. Glenn just stood there, observing Dale's amputated leg in shock. T-Dog was focusing on the other survivors, staring at them with could have been malevolence.

"Glenn, T, we need your help, now!" Rick yelled.

Glenn shook out of his shock and ran to assist Rick and Daryl. T-Dog kept his pistol trained on the other survivors. Glenn, Rick, and Daryl carried Rick out of the room and T-Dog slowly backed away from the prisoners.

"Stay here, we'll deal with you later." T-Dog said, running after the group.

Carl had his weapon trained at the cell door, along with Hershel.

"What the hell was that?!" Lori yelled, holding her belly.

Hershel turned to Lori. "Keep calm, control your breathing. Beth, help calm her down please."

Beth walked up to Lori. "Come on, let's sit down, ok?"

Hershel and Carl heard rapid footsteps. Carl immediately pointed his pistol towards the footsteps. Hershel was a little slower. He didn't aim his pistol; instead, he looked through the cell door and saw Rick.

"Hurry, get him in here, quickly!" He heard Rick yell.

Hershel instinctively opened the cell door and the group came piling inside. Lori gasped in shock as she saw Dale, unconscious but alive.

"Hershel! We need your help!" Glenn yelled.

Hershel observed the wound. "Okay, we need to clean the wound. Maggie, grab some towels. I saw some in the cafeteria back there." Hershel said, pointing.

Maggie shook her head and ran quickly. Hershel turned to Rick.

"When she gets back, I need you to place pressure on the wound. If we do that, It will stop the bleeding after a while."

Rick nodded. "Okay, whatever you say."

Maggie ran into the room, carrying white towels. "Here, dad."

Hershel handed a towel to Rick, who immediately placed it on Dale's injury.

"We need to find a comfortable place for him."

"The cell beds." Rick said, quickly.

"Help me move him." Hershel said, grabbing Dale's arms.

Rick and Daryl assisted Hershel in placing Dale on a cell bed.

"Rick, keep pressure on the wound."

Rick nodded and continued to apply pressure. Hershel observed Dale, whose breathing was beginning to become labored. Hershel stared at Dale's chest, trying to see how slow he was breathing.

The cell door opened and T-Dog turned around to recognize the prisoners. He pointed his pistol at them. Daryl noticed them as well and pointed his crossbow. One of the prisoners pulled out a small revolver and pointed it at T-Dog.

"I don't think so, you want to die?" Daryl said, his crossbow fixed on the man.

Rick heard the commotion and looked at Hershel.

"Go, Rick."

Rick nodded and ran out into the cell block to see the prisoners. He pulled out his revolver and pointed it at the man pointing his own revolver.

"What are you doing here?" Rick said, staying away.

"We saw what you did to that old dude. We just wanted to help." A man with a goatee responded.

"Shut up, Axel. That's not why we're here." The man with the revolver barked.

"What's your name?" Rick said, concerned.

"Tomas. I'm the one in charge."

"See, that's not true. At least, not anymore. I'm in charge here, so go back to wherever you came from." Rick said, trying to push them back into the tombs.

"No, we can't go back there. I'm leavin' this place. If I have the chance to get out with my life, I'll take it."

Rick thought for a moment. "Fine, you can leave. You can all leave."

Tomas smiled. "I want to take some food with me and Andrew."

"Andrew?"

Tomas pointed an African-American man, "That guy."

"Yeah, that sounds fine. I'll come with you."

"No, I'll pack it myself. I don't need your help."

"See, I can't risk you taking all of that food."

"Why not? It shouldn't matter."

"Well, it does for my group."

"Why do you have a group here, anyway?"

Rick grew irritated. "You know what, fine. Grab your shit and leave."

Tomas eyed Rick, but turned around with Andrew close behind him. Rick turned to face the other prisoners.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Go!" Rick yelled.

"See, I'm not as stupid as I look. I know there's a problem." Axel said, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, I'm with him. You guys look like shit. We have plenty of food if you need it." The other black man said.

"And who are you?"

"Oscar, oh, and this is Big Tiny." Oscar said, patting Big Tiny's back.

"I don't care, I just want you guys out of here."

"Please tell us what's going on. We've been locked in there for over a year. I lost count. I know there's somethin' wrong."

Rick sighed. "Okay, if you really want to know, there's an apocalypse out there. The dead have risen to eat the flesh of the living. Quite frankly, it's hard to trust strangers."

"Look, you can trust us. Yes, we were prisoners, but that doesn't mean we're bad people now."

"I'm sorry, I can't take the risk."

Tomas and Andrew entered the room. Their eyes were wide open.

"What the hell did you just tell them?" Tomas asked, with anger rising.

"You heard me."

Tomas dropped his bag of food and pointed his revolver at Rick. T-Dog and Daryl had their weapons trained on Tomas.

"You really want to kill me?" Rick said, trying not to act scared.

"No, not you." Tomas said, his eyes pointing towards the pregnant woman.

As Tomas was distracted, Rick quickly realized what he meant. He charged Tomas to the ground and a fight began to ensue. Rick pushed the revolver away, but in the process, his revolver was pushed away. T-Dog and Daryl knew they couldn't do anything. Rick began to beat Tomas into submission.

"Hey, Hey, that's enough!" Axel yelled. "Do something, Big Tiny!"

"Big Tiny, grab that asshole. Get him off of Tomas!" Andrew yelled.

Instead of grabbing Rick, Big Tiny grabbed Tomas and quickly pushed him away from Rick. Tomas hit his head on the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious. Rick looked at Andrew, who instinctively ran away. Rick picked up his revolver and began to pursue Andrew into the tombs, despite the pleas from his wife, as well as T-Dog. Andrew exited a door that led to the courtyard, but it was closed in, with walkers scattered about. Andrew tried to run back in, but Rick locked the door. He turned his head away when he heard Andrew screaming. _I'm not a monster._ Rick walked back to the cell block to see the group staring at him.

"What's done is done." Rick said, with a look of malice.


	8. An old friend

Andrea looked up at the woman standing above her. Her tired eyes began to close, before the woman above her slapped her.

"Stay awake!" The woman hissed.

"Dammit, Michonne. Leave me alone." Andrea said, hoarsely.

Michonne pulled out a water bottle and gave it to Andrea. Andrea began to drink the water quickly. Michonne quickly pulled it away from her.

"I still need some, you know?"

Andrea sighed. "Just leave me."

"What?"

"Just leave me here, I can't keep going."

"Like hell I'm leaving you. I hauled your ass throughout the winter, I'm not leaving you here. Come on, get up."

Andrea sighed. "Fine."

Michonne helped Andrea to her feet. Andrea just leaned back onto the wall, completely dehydrated. Michonne helped her once again.

"What is that noise?" Andrea said, looking up.

Michonne stayed quiet and heard it as well. She ran outside and noticed a helicopter flying through the air. She quickly saw it lose control and crash into the woods. She ran back inside.

"Andrea, let's go."

"Fine, I'm coming." Andrea said, annoyed.

Michonne grabbed her backpack, as well as her two personal walkers. She observed the smoke and looked back at Andrea. Andrea saw the smoke as well.

"What the?"

"Let's go."

After a few minutes of walking, Michonne and Andrea came across the downed helicopter. Andrea collapsed behind a few bushes and began to vomit. Michonne tied her walkers to a tree and walked over to Andrea.

"Are you alright?"

"Like hell I'm alright."

Michonne shook her head. She looked up to see movement. She looked at the people walking into view. _What are they doing here?_ She watched as the men made their way closer to the helicopter. She began to point out the differences between the men. One of them had a baseball bat and a baseball cap on backwards. Another was of African descent and had a bow of some sort. Finally, the man who appeared to be the most suspicious was a surprisingly regular man from what she could see. She watched the regular man walk towards the helicopter.

"H-"

Michonne quickly put her hand over Andrea's mouth. The men didn't seem to notice. She and Andrea watched as the man pulled out a man from the wreckage. Andrea's eyes widened as she saw that the man was a soldier. She watched in shock as the man stabbed the soldier in the head, without hesitation. Michonne realized that the walkers were growling too loud and the men were looking in her direction. She quickly pulled her katana from her sheath and killed the two walkers with one swift motion. She sat in silence, waiting for something to happen. Before anything could happen, she heard a click behind her. She reached for her katana.

"Ah! Ah! Don't do that, black lady. If you want to live, that is." The man with a gravelly voice said.

Michonne sighed in frustration as the man took her katana. Andrea recognized the voice and slowly turned around to see a familiar face as well.

"Ah, sugartits! It really is you, huh?!" The man said, shocked, as well as surprised.

"Merle?" Andrea said, hitting herself.

"You're not seein' things darling. Hey, give your ol' pal Merle a hug, huh?"

Andrea couldn't take the shock and dehydration. She fell to the ground, falling unconscious.

"Well, I guess she doesn't want a hug." Merle said, not surprised.

Andrea awoke in a moving vehicle to see Michonne sitting next to her. She turned the other way to see Merle giving her a big grin.

"Where are we going?" Andrea groggily asked.

"You'll see." Merle said, chuckling.

Andrea looked through the car windshield to see a wall come into view. The car came to a stop and the gates opened, revealing a town with people walking around. The car drove into a parking lot and the driver turned the vehicle off. Merle pointed his pistol at Michonne.

"Get out."

Michonne sighed as she exited the vehicle with Andrea following her.

"Follow me." Merle said, walking into a building.

Michonne observed everything that she passed that could be used as a weapon. She sighed as she couldn't find anything. Merle opened a door and signaled for them to enter the room. Michonne and Andrea entered the room. Merle followed them inside and closed the door behind him.

"Sit down, black lady. You're pissing me off."

Michonne continued to stand.

"You really want to test me?" Merle asked, sarcastically.

Michonne sat down when Merle pointed his pistol at her. Merle turned to Andrea.

"Hey, where's my brother?"

Andrea looked at him. "I don't have a goddamn idea. I haven't seen him for a long time."

Merle nodded. "What about the rest of that group?"

Andrea chuckled. "We lost people as well. Jacqui, Amy, Jim…and Dale almost died."

Merle sighed. "That old fart's still alive?"

Andrea nodded. "He was almost killed by a walker, but we managed to save him in time."

"You should've let him die."

Andrea stared at him with shock. The door behind Merle opened and the nice looking man, along with the man wearing a baseball cap, entered. Merle smiled.

The nice looking man put his hands on his hips. "Are you ladies okay?"

"We were fine until you came along." Michonne said, calmly.

The man chuckled. "You really want to go back onto the road? Look at you girls, you look like you haven't had rest for a few months. Stay here for a little bit, regain your strength."

"He's right, Michonne. We wouldn't have been able to survive out there for much longer."

The man smiled. "What's your name?"

"Andrea."

"It's nice to meet you, Andrea. My name's Phillip, but the people around here call me the Governor."

Andrea nodded. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Footsteps were heard and another man entered the room. He was wearing glasses and holding a notepad.

"What's her name?" The man asked calmly.

"Andrea, but I don't know who the other woman is."

"Her name is Michonne." Andrea spoke up.

Michonne looked at Andrea with surprise. The man with the glasses wrote down their names fairly quickly.

"Milton, calm down. We have time."

"I'm sorry; I just need to write this down." Milton said, putting the notebook in his shirt pocket.

Philip turned to the women. "You're probably wanting to know where you are? I'll tell you. You're in the town of Woodbury, the last peaceful town on earth. I can give you a tour if you want."

Andrea nodded. "That sounds nice."

Philip helped Andrea to her feet. "Let's get you some water first."

Andrea smiled and turned to Michonne. "Come on, Michonne."

Michonne sighed, but stood up anyway. They followed Philip out of the building and into the town center.

"This is the town center. People only have the opportunity to walk around now. We have a curfew, which applies to both of you."

After a few hours of showing the two women around, Philip looked down at his watch.

"Oh, well it's our curfew. Go back to that building. I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

Andrea smiled. "Thanks, Philip."

Philip smiled and watched the two women walk away. As soon as they walked into the building, his smile faded. He walked into another building and made his way into the basement. He looked at the two figures inside. He recognized one as Milton and the other as a military officer. Philip sat down next to the officer.

"How are you feeling?"

The man coughed. "Where's my platoon?"

"They didn't make it, I'm sorry."

The man sighed in sadness.

"Look, I know you have a base somewhere. We can bring your people here as soon as tomorrow. If you tell us, we'll bring them here."

The man sighed. "The rest of my men are located a few miles away from here. Next to a town named…Woodbury, I think."

Philip smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your time."

Philip looked at Milton. "Tell the men."

Milton nodded and walked through the door. Philip looked at the man.

"What's your name?"

"Welles. Lieutenant Welles."

"You'll be remembered, don't worry."

"What?"

Philip plunged a knife into Welles' chest. Welles gasped for breath, but it was suddenly taken from him as he passed away. Philip took the knife out of Welles and looked at his head.

"I'll need that."

The next morning, Philip and the men gathered by the front gate, with the rest of Woodbury watching.

"We'll be back. We just need to bring some people to our community. I promise you they'll be of great use to us." Philip turned to the man in the baseball cap. "Martinez, let's roll!"

The men drove out of Woodbury and drove down the road. After a few miles, Philip noticed the platoon's base.

"Stop. I'll take it from here." Philip said, pushing for everyone to leave the car. "You'll know when to fire."

Philip pulled a white flag on a stick and placed it on his lap as he continued to drive towards the base. He held the flag outside of his window and drove into the base. He exited his car with his hands held high.

"I'm not your enemy. One of your men, Welles, told me that you were here."

One of the soldiers walked up to him. "Welles? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine."

The man turned around to face the rest of the platoon. "Welles is alive!"

Philip chuckled and pulled out his pistol. He shot the man in the chest and the man fell to the ground. As soon as that happened, Philip's army came out of the woods and began to shoot the soldiers. Philip smiled as he watched the bodies fall, one by one. As soon as the gunfire had stopped, Philip observed his surrounding to see the military vehicles.

"These vehicles could really help Woodbury, eh Governor?" Merle asked, chuckling.

"Yeah, they will. When Woodbury sees this, they'll gain hope." Philip said, thinking about being honored by Woodbury.

 _ **Author's Note: I know that this chapter doesn't feature Dale or the other survivors, but in order to build the Governor's character, I need to do it very much like the television show. The next chapter should focus on the survivors again, and if it does, I am certain Dale will have a bigger role.**_


	9. The Watchtower

Rick sat atop the watchtower, staring off into the wilderness. He heard footsteps walking up the watchtower. He watched as Glenn entered through the hatch and looked at him. Glenn walked up to him.

"Come on, Rick. He has been gone for a day now. I don't think he's coming back."

Rick thought of Lori, just sitting in the prison, waiting for him. Glenn patted Rick's shoulder.

"Come on, a few of our people are down there, waiting for you."

Rick nodded. "Alright, you win."

Glenn smiled and walked down the stairs, with Rick following him. Rick exited the watchtower Rick and looked at the small group standing in front of him, consisting of, T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl.

"Let's go back inside." Rick said, walking back towards the prison.

"Are you sure you just want to leave Tomas out there? He could come back." Daryl asked.

Rick sighed. "We're taking Dale's ethics into account. I'm not killing him."

Daryl shrugged and walked with him.

"Listen, Ma'am. We don't mean you any harm. We just want to help." Big Tiny said, his hands on the metal bars.

Lori turned to him. "I don't decide anything around here. You'll have to talk with my husband."

Lori groaned and felt her belly. "Hershel!" She yelled, groaning in pain.

Hershel walked out of the cell, where Dale was being held. He turned to the prisoners and then to Lori.

"Are you okay?"

"I think the baby is kicking." Lori said, continuing to groan.

Hershel observed Lori, before examining her belly. After she relaxed, he looked up at her with a smile.

"Don't worry. The baby isn't coming yet." Hershel said with a smile.

Lori smiled back and hugged Hershel. Hershel looked over at Carl, watching the prisoners.

"You can take a break, Carl. They aren't going anywhere."

Carl didn't acknowledge Hershel. He continued to stare at the prisoners, his gun dangling back and forth. Hershel walked up to the prisoner's cell.

"I know that you are good people. I just don't make the decisions within my group. I'm sorry."

Big Tiny nodded. "How's that old dude? Is he okay?"

Hershel chuckled. "That 'old dude' is going to be just fine. We just need to wait for him to wake up."

A loud noise echoed through the prison and Hershel looked over to see Rick. Rick looked horrified as he stared at Hershel.

"Hershel, get away from them!"

Hershel looked back at the prisoners, who were sitting down, calmly. "They aren't hurting anyone. Even if they were malicious, they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anyway."

Big Tiny stood up. "Are you the leader?" He said, directing it towards Rick.

Rick nodded and walked up to the cell, next to Hershel. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm going to let you guys go. I can't take the risk of having you here."

"But you told us-"

"I know what I said about the outside. You'll have a fighting chance out there."

Hershel held up a finger. "Wait a minute, Rick. You're just going to send them out there without any food or weapons. They're harmless towards us."

Rick sighed. "Really, Hershel? You're willing to put your life, as well as everyone else's, in danger."

"At least give them a chance." Hershel said, almost pleading.

"With what supplies? We have nothing to help them. Besides, I can't risk Lori's safety. Especially with our child."

"Please, I'm begging you here, Rick."

Before Rick could respond, a thud was heard from Dale's cell. Hershel started to walk towards the room, but Rick held him back.

"If anything happens, I need you alive for Lori."

Hershel nodded and let Rick pass him. Rick slowly walked towards Dale's cell and looked into it. He saw Dale struggling to stand up. Rick sighed in relief as he looked at Dale.

"Can I have some help?" Dale asked, reaching for Rick.

Rick smiled and assisted Dale to his feet. He assisted Dale out of the room and the group just stared, shocked for both his survival and for what happened. Glenn looked at Maggie.

"Go on." She said, smiling.

Glenn walked up to Dale and hugged him. Dale hugged him back and sniffled.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay." Dale said, almost crying.

"I could say the same about you. Oh wait, You're forgetting something." Glenn said, pulling out Dale's hat from his back pocket. Dale grabbed it.

"Thanks."

The two stood in silence.

Dale looked up at Glenn. "Can you, uh, put that up there for me?"

Glenn smiled. "Sure."

Glenn put the hat on Dale. "Now you look familiar."

Hershel walked over to Dale, holding crutches. "Here, do you know how to use them?"

"No, but I could use a stroll." Dale said, placing the crutches underneath his armpits.

Hershel assisted Dale in walking across the room. Dale passed by the prisoner's cell.

"Hey, you're one tough old dude!" Big Tiny said, giving him a thumbs up.

Dale turned to Rick. "Who are they?"

"Prisoners. We found them when your leg was amputated."

"Why are they in cells?" Dale asked.

"That's a stupid question to ask. They're prisoners, we can't trust them."

"What if we bring them outside? I personally want to get some fresh air, as well as walk around."

"I'll let you go, but not them."

"Rick, please. What harm can they bring to us? Haven't you promised them death on so many occasions? We'll keep an eye on them, we promise." Hershel said, hopeful.

Rick sighed and looked at Lori. She nodded at him.

"Okay, but I want you to stay here with Lori. Just in case."

Hershel nodded and looked at Dale. "How are you?"

"I'm actually feeling quite well. Thanks for asking."

"No, I mean, how are the crutches?"

"I'm starting to become used to them."

Hershel smiled and patted him on the back. Rick nodded to Daryl, who unlocked the prisoners cell. Big Tiny looked at Dale.

"Thanks, old dude."

"My name is Dale."

"Don't matter. I'm callin' you old dude, just because you're just awesome."

Dale smiled. "Well, thank you very much.

Dale led the group outside and Dale stopped after walking outside. Dale took a deep breath and looked around him.

"Did you clear the courtyard?"

"We did, as a matter of fact."

Dale looked at the wilderness, past the chain link fence. "It's very beautiful. I honestly feel that we'll be safe here."

Rick chuckled. "I'm really hoping you're right."

The prisoners walked out into the open and they all took deep breaths.

Axel held his hand up. "Damn, that's bright."

Big Tiny looked at him. "That's obvious, man."

Rick looked at the prisoners. "You're aren't free, you know?"

"Well, if the world is filled with flesh eating freaks, I'm happy to be here." Oscar said, smiling.

Big Tiny turned to Daryl and T-Dog, keeping their weapons trained on them. "Please, you can trust us."

Daryl looked at him. "We can't risk it, man."

Dale saw other members of the group walk outside in the surrounding courtyards. He heard the door open behind him to see Carol walk towards them.

"T, Carol, go over with those guys. Keep an eye on them, okay?"

T-Dog nodded and walked with Carol over to other members of the group. After T-Dog closed the gate behind him, a loud noise played over the speakers. Rick recognized it as an alarm. He immediately drew his revolver towards Big Tiny.

"What is that?! How do we turn it off?!"

"I know how to turn it off. It's the backup generators."

"Let's go!"

Rick looked over at T-Dog. "Get everyone inside!"

Rick looked in horror as he saw walkers make their way into the surrounding courtyards, as well as their own. Dale looked at the watchtower next to him and looked at the group.

"Get inside!" Dale yelled, moving as fast as he could, into the watchtower.

Daryl and Big Tiny held Rick back as Dale entered the watchtower. Dale climbed up the stairs of the watchtower, hoping he could make it to the top.


	10. Two unfortunate incidents

Dale quickly closed the door behind him as he watched the walkers move towards him. He stumbled backwards and his head hit the ground. He quickly recovered and put his hat back on. He quickly stood to his feet, using one crutch to support him. Dale limped to the ladder and grabbed it. He began to pull himself up, dropping his crutch. During the climb, Dale could only hear yelling and gunshots. Once Dale made it to the top, he heard the door below him force itself open. Dale sighed in relief and shut the hatch behind him. Dale noticed his rifle and grabbed it. He stood to his feet once more, this time, using his rifle to support him. He walked out onto the platform surrounding the watchtower and observed his surroundings. He looked below him to see the group he was with make their way inside. He heard yelling once more and saw T-Dog, however, he was further away. He watched T-Dog trying to close off a section of the prison, using a primitive locking tool that Rick would use.

Dale's eyes widened when he noticed a few walkers making their way towards T-Dog. He immediately raised his rifle and fired at the walker closest to T-Dog. T-Dog quickly turned around and saw Dale. He smiled briefly, before being forced to retreat into the prison, with Carol following. Dale looked around and didn't see anyone. Dale sat down, with his back to the watchtower, and observed the courtyard of the prison.

"Carol, come on, there has to be a way through here!" T-Dog yelled.

Carol followed T-Dog closely as the duo made their way deeper into the prison. T-Dog burst through a door and continued to run. As soon as Carol entered, she was grabbed by a walker.

"T-Dog! Help!" Carol yelled.

T-Dog looked behind him and ran to her. Unfortunately, the walker bit into Carol's neck, before he could get it off of her. T-Dog stomped the walker's head into the ground. He quickly closed the door and locked it. He looked at Carol, who was lying against the wall, having labored breathing. T-Dog's eyes began to water when he observed the bite.

Carol began to cry. "Please, don't let me turn. T-Dog, I need you to do what needs to be done."

T-Dog sniffled. "I…I can't."

"Then just leave. The group needs your help."

"I'm not leaving you by yourself. For Sophia's sake."

"She's dead, T-Dog. This is God's fault and you know it. Don't try to pull that Christian shit on me."

"I-"

"Just leave, I don't even want to see you." Carol said, turning from T-Dog.

Before T-Dog could respond, he watched her breath her final breath, before she had been taken away. T-Dog gave a heavy sigh in sadness. He quickly stood up and continued running through the prison.

Hershel looked through the bars of the cell block, holding his pistol tightly.

"Hershel, what's going on?!" Lori yelled.

"I don't know, but you need to keep your voice down."

"Well, have-" Lori stopped quickly, as she felt a jolt in her abdomen.

Hershel quickly walked towards her and felt her stomach. "How are you feeling?"

Lori began to breathe heavily. "It's comin', I know it."

Hershel looked at Maggie. "Maggie, help me get her on the table."

Maggie nodded and helped Hershel lift Lori onto the table. Maggie took off Lori's pants, while Hershel kneeled to Carl.

"Son, I don't want you to see this. I want you to-"

"I want to see it, Hershel. You can't stop me."

"Listen to me, dammit. Do this for your mother, not me."

Carl didn't respond.

"Dad, I need your help!" Maggie yelled over Lori's screams of pain.

Hershel sighed and quickly walked over to Maggie. "What's wrong?"

"She can't push the baby out."

Hershel knew what needed to be done. "She needs a C-section. Maggie, can I have your knife?"

Maggie reluctantly handed Hershel her knife. Hershel didn't even open the knife after he received it.

"What are you waiting for, Hershel? Do it." Lori said, looking at him.

"I can't, you'll die if I try to perform this."

"I don't care what it takes, Hershel. Do this for my baby, please?!"

Hershel sighed and opened the knife.

"I have a C-section scar, cut on that."

Carl walked up to Lori in tears. "No mom, please, don't do this."

Lori began to cry as well. "This needs to happen, son. Listen to me, I may not be around, but you will. You are going to beat this world, I know it. You're going to do it with your new brother or sister."

Hershel looked at Maggie. Maggie knew what he meant and began to guide Carl away.

"Come on, Carl."

Lori looked at Hershel, still holding the knife. "Do it, now."

Hershel took a deep breath and hovered the knife over the C-section scar.

"I'm sorry, Lori."

Hershel cut into Lori's flesh and she screamed loudly. Hershel held back his compassion as he continued to cut, until her abdomen was open. Hershel took a deep breath and began to feel around, trying to find the baby. He found the baby and pulled it out, slowly. She wasn't breathing. Hershel began to perform CPR on the infant. The baby sprung to life and began to whine. Hershel gasped in surprise, but quickly composed himself.

Suddenly, the door behind him burst open. T-Dog rushed into the room and slammed the door shut. At the same time, the group that was with Dale, led by Glenn, bumped into the cell door.

"Hershel, open this door!" Glenn yelled.

Maggie ran to the door and unlocked it with the spare keys. She pushed the cell door open and the group flooded inside. She closed it once everyone made it inside. Maggie ran to Glenn and hugged him.

"Holy shit, what happened here?" Axel asked, looking at the corpse of Lori.

Hershel looked at him.

"Sorry, man, I just realized it."

Hershel looked at the group. "Where's Rick?"

Rick, Daryl, and Oscar were running through a corridor, trying to reach the generators. They came across a door.

"Is this it?!" Rick yelled.

"It should be."

Rick opened the door and entered, but was charged by a figure. The figure began to choke Rick, but was shot by Daryl in the head. Rick pushed the figure off of him. He looked down to see Andrew. Daryl looked behind him to see walkers making their way through the corridors. He quickly slammed the door shut.

Daryl looked at Rick. "Go on!"

Rick nodded and followed Oscar. Rick ran towards the generator, but was pushed back. He looked up to see another figure holding an axe. The figure grabbed him and flung him towards the generator, causing him to drop his gun. The figure swung the axe, but Rick pulled him to the ground. The two wrestled on the floor, before a click was heard. Rick and the figure stood up and faced Oscar, now holding Rick's revolver. Oscar looked at the figure, now in the light.

"Shoot him, man! We can take this place. You know we can!" Tomas yelled at him.

Oscar held the revolver tightly and had it pointed at Rick, who had a desperate look in his eyes. He noticed Daryl in his peripheral vision. Oscar knew who he was going to shoot. He aimed at Tomas and shot him in the forehead. He walked up to Rick and slung the handle towards him. Rick looked at Oscar carefully, before grabbing the revolver.


	11. Another loss

Dale sat there, just watching the courtyard. He smiled and chuckled to himself. _The old man with one leg somehow managed to climb a ladder and save his friend. I don't know if I should consider that to be luck or something else._ He heard a door opening and he turned to see Rick exiting the building. Rick began to cry as he collapsed onto the pavement. He rolled around in sadness. Dale realized that he needed to get down there. He opened the hatch, to see that the walkers were no longer there. _I guess they forgot about me up here._ Dale dropped his crutches down the hatch and began to slowly climb down. When he reached the bottom, he heard more voices outside of the watchtower. He grabbed the crutches and exited the watchtower. He noticed that Glenn, T-Dog, and Maggie were next to Rick. Glenn looked up to see Dale. Albeit happy, he didn't show it. Dale walked up to the trio, as Rick continued to cry on the ground.

"Glenn, what happened?" Dale asked, concerned.

"Uh, well, Lori…"

Dale held his hand up, as he realized what Glenn was going to say. "Not here, let's go somewhere, a little more private."

Glenn nodded and followed Dale into the watchtower.

"Okay, Glenn, tell me what happened."

"Lori…died giving birth to a daughter. When Rick came in with the other guys, he just flipped out and came outside. I understand why, but I guess I didn't expect him to do that."

"The only thing we can do is give him the space that he needs. However, we also need to make sure that he doesn't do anything rash, whatever it may be."

"You need to tell this to everyone inside. I think they would be a little less stressed about it."

"We need to make sure Rick is alright before we can be sure."

"How can we do that?"

"We need to get him back inside. He may be the leader, but due to his "experience", someone may need to replace him for the time being."

"You should."

Dale looked surprised. "Not me. As much as I appreciate you thinking that, the rest of the group may not agree."

"What are you talking about? Of course they would. You clearly know what you're doing, compared to the rest of us."

Before Dale could respond, the watchtower door opened. Maggie looked at the two with sadness.

"What are we going to do?"

"Well, Dale and I believe that we need to keep Rick under close observation, in order to be sure that nothing bad happens."

"Let's try to see if we can get Rick back inside. That's our main priority at the moment."

"Okay, but I don't believe that he's going to listen to us."

Maggie led Dale and Glenn to Rick, still on the ground. Dale sat down on the ground next to Rick. He placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, which led to Rick looking at him.

"Rick, I'm sorry for what happened?"

Rick didn't answer as he jumped to his feet. "I don't want your sympathy."

Rick scoffed, as he walked away from the group, back towards the prison.

"Dale, what now?"

"I don't know. I didn't expect him to act this way."

Rick walked into the prison, with his knife in hand. He entered the tombs through another entrance and came face to face with walkers in the hallway. Rick's eyes were filled with anger, as he stomped towards the walkers. Rick slashed the first walker and continued to slash at the others.

"Shhh, it's okay." Hershel said to the small child, calmly.

He looked over at the corpse of Lori, which had been covered with a blanket. He looked at Carl, standing next to her body intently. Hershel looked at Beth.

"Honey, can you take her for a moment?"

"Sure, daddy."

Hershel smiled as he handed Beth the small child. Beth walked into the cell she exited from and sat down on the bottom bed. Hershel sighed as he stood up and looked towards Carl. He walked over to him and placed a hand on Carl's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Carl. You shouldn't be able to witness things like this, and I understand your anger."

Carl sighed, and turned away from Hershel.

"I'm sorry, Carl, once again. I'll leave you alone." Hershel said, turning around.

However, Hershel felt something unexpected as he was about to turn around. He felt Carl's arms wrap around him, which was followed by crying. Hershel kneeled down to Carl's height and hugged him. Carl continued to cry into Hershel's shoulder, as he continued to think about his mother. Before he could continue, he heard Beth running towards him.

"Dad, I need your help!"

Hershel turned around to face Beth, who was still carrying the baby. "What's wrong?!"

"The baby, she ain't breathing!"

Hershel's eyes widened as he knew that they didn't have much time. "Let me see her!"

Beth gave Hershel the baby. Hershel began to perform infant CPR on the baby, with a disturbed Carl watching. After a few minutes, Hershel realized it was futile.

"Why are you stopping?! Keep going!" Carl yelled.

Hershel turned to him. "There's nothing I can do."

Carl's sadness turned into anger, as he charged at Hershel, knocking the baby out of Hershel's hands. Carl began to punch Hershel out of anger, however, Hershel didn't retaliate. He looked around to see the group running towards them. Daryl grabbed Carl, while T-Dog ran to Hershel.

"It's all your damn fault, Hershel! I hate you, I wish you never came with us!" Carl yelled.

Hershel looked at Car, feeling the utmost sympathy for the disturbed child. Daryl held Carl tightly, enough to the point to where Carl ultimately gave up. Daryl carried Carl into a cell and set him on one of the beds.

"Look, man, I know how you're feelin', but you had no reason to attack Hershel."

Carl turned away, but Daryl walked out of the cell towards Hershel.

"You alright, man?"

"It's not me you should be concerned about."

"Why didn't you fight back?"

"He's only a child. I understand his anger; this is just something he has to overcome with support."

"Yeah, I hear you." Daryl looked to the former baby. "What do we do with her?"

"We don't tell Rick, not yet at least. We'll give her a burial, a proper burial." Hershel said, on the verge of tears.


	12. A Broken Heart

Dale stared at the cross that symbolized the death of the child. He felt like crying, if he hadn't done so the previous day when she had been buried. _Rick wasn't there, maybe it was for the best._ Dale felt a presence behind him and he followed that instinct. He turned around to see Rick staring at him, with a crazed look in his eye.

"Rick, I know you're aware. Carl told you, didn't he?"

Rick didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Dale and began reaching for something in his back pocket.

"What are you doing, Rick?" Dale asked, nervous.

Rick stopped what he was doing and breathed a heavy sigh. He turned around and began walking back to the prison. Dale looked at what Rick was reaching for and noticed that it was a knife. Dale stared at Rick as he went inside the building. He followed Rick inside a few minutes later, after saying his final goodbyes to the unnamed child. Dale walked into the cafeteria and noticed that Rick wasn't in there. Everyone inside the cafeteria was abnormally silent. Dale set his crutches down and sat next to Hershel.

"Hershel, can I talk to you for a second?"

Hershel swallowed his food. "What is it?"

"Does Rick know about…"

"Yes, Carl told him earlier this morning."

Dale sighed. "Have you taken over Rick's position?"

"No, but I understand your reasoning. The best thing that can be done now is to help Rick through this, as well as Carl."

"Where is Carl?"

"He's still in his cell, unfortunately."

"I'll get him out."

"Be careful, Dale. He's dealing with a lot at the moment."

Dale nodded. He grabbed his crutches and entered the cell block next to the cafeteria. He looked to his left and saw Carl in the first cell. Dale walked over to the cell and stood in the entrance.

"What do you want?" Carl said, angrily.

"I just want to talk to you."

"What's there to talk about? My sister's dead, as well as my mom. So, why should you give a shit what happens to me?"

Dale looked at Carl with a shocked expression. "I…I just want to help you. I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but your father needs help as well. He needs his son."

Carl began to tear up, until his anger took control. "What the hell do you know?! My dad has no problem killing people, I don't have a problem with killing you!"

Dale looked at Carl with sad eyes. "I know your anger. You're justified with this anger, but Rick needs his son and you need him. You both just need support and I am more than willing to give that to you. I'm sorry, Carl. I am so sorry for what happened."

Carl looked away from Dale and began to weep. Dale sat down next to Carl, who began to move away from him. Dale placed a hand on Carl's shoulder. Carl looked back at him, showing his face.

"It's okay, Carl. It'll be okay."

Carl began to cry into his hands. Dale leaned over and hugged Carl, who hugged him back, crying into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Dale. I didn't mean it." Carl said through his crying.

"Shh, I know you didn't. I understand." Dale said, continuing to comfort Carl.

Dale looked in the entrance of the cell to see T-Dog standing there. He walked up to Carl and knelt down to him. Carl looked at T-Dog and smiled at him. T-Dog smiled back at him.

"We're all here for you, buddy. Hell, I'm not givin' up on you." T-Dog said, smiling.

T-Dog placed his hand on Carl's shoulder. "Come on, let's get something to eat, huh?"

Carl nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"No need, buddy."

Carl followed T-Dog out of the cell, while Dale struggled to his feet. He grabbed his crutches and walked out of the cell and into the cafeteria. He saw T-Dog lead Carl to the table where Hershel was sitting. Dale looked to his right and noticed Glenn sitting by himself.

"Hey, Glenn."

Glenn looked up at him. "Oh, Dale, it's good to see you."

Dale smiled. "Can I sit with you?"

"By all means."

Dale sat across from Glenn, being sure to keep Carl in his sights.

"Hey, Glenn? Can I ask you a question?"

Glenn nodded, eating his food.

"Well, not a question necessarily, but I've been thinking recently. I personally believe that I should take care of Carl, at least until Rick gets better."

"If you believe that's for the best. I think you would be perfect to take care of him."

"I don't know, I just don't know how to feel about that."

"Speaking of which, where is Rick?"

"I thought I saw him come inside. He's probably by himself, I don't know where exactly."

Night fell across the once blue sky. Rick stood in the courtyard, holding his backpack. He stared at the cross, where his baby was lying. Rick felt enraged as he stared at the grave. He began to stomp on the grave site, causing dirt to fly. Rick sighed and fell to his knees. _I can't do this anymore. This group has done nothing for me. Maybe at first, but my whole family is dead, because of them. Screw them all._

Rick picked up his backpack with a purpose and began walking towards the exit gate. He opened it and looked out onto the desolate road. He turned back towards the courtyard and observed the area one last time. He turned back to the road and walked outside of the gate. He closed the gate behind him and began walking, unknowing of what would become of him.


	13. An Unlikely Friendship

Phillip Blake outstretched his arms as he awoke from his sleep. He yawned and pulled the covers back. He turned his head to see his female companion, lying there, almost completely motionless. He smiled as he rubbed her shoulder. He pulled his hand back and stood up, putting on his pants that were lying on the ground.

"So, you're awake." The woman said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I didn't know that you were this good in bed, Andrea."

"Well, I have my surprises." Andrea said, her smile growing.

Phillip chuckled as he put his shirt on. "Well, it's a shame that your friend left. I think she would have been a good addition to this community."

Andrea's smile faded. "Well, it's what she wants, I guess."

Phillip nodded as he adjusted his belt. "Well, I hope she's okay, wherever she is."

Michonne peered through the bushes and squinted through the thick brush, to see people running towards her. She continued to duck, as the men ran past her. She recognized the leader of the small group. _Merle._

"That black bitch couldn't have gone far. Keep looking, you know what the governor will do if you don't find her." Merle said, cocking his pistol.

Michonne continued to eye Merle, as he observed his surroundings. The other men accompanying him walked ahead, their guns leading them. Merle looked at a third man, who didn't walk forward.

"Hey, let's go." Merle said, looking at the nervous man.

"I…I can't."

Merle sighed. "Why can't you?"

"What did she ever do to us?"

"She killed our men. She killed people who did nothing wrong to her."

Michonne sarcastically chuckled to herself.

The man took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, alright, you're right."

"Yeah, I know I'm right. So, lets go and kill this bitch." Merle said, smiling.

Merle and the other man began to follow the two soldiers ahead of them. As the soldiers walked past two trees parallel to each other, Michonne dropped to the ground and swung her machete at them, slicing their heads clean off. She immediately dove into the bushes, as Merle shot at her. The bullets whizzed past her, as she began to move quickly through the thick brush.

"Goddammit!" Merle yelled, firing his pistol in the air.

The other man nervously began to walk forward. Merle placed his arm in front of the man.

"No, I shot her."

"Shouldn't we check?"

"Nah, she's dead." Merle pulled the man closer to him. "She's…dead. You hear me?"

The man nodded and looked in the direction of where Michonne had run towards.

"Should we check her body, to see if there's anything on her?"

Merle paused. "Yeah, sure."

The man began to walk into the brush.

"Hey." Merle called.

"Yeah?"

"What's your name?"

"Gargulio. Why?"

"Nothing, just friendly introductions, you know?"

Gargulio nodded and turned back towards the brush. Merle quickly raised his pistol and fired at Gargulio. Merle stopped breathing for a second, before being relieved with the collapse of the former man's body.

"That's why you don't question me, boy." Merle said to himself, holstering his weapon.

Merle heard footsteps coming from behind him and quickly turned around to see a man standing there with a backpack.

Merle smiled. "Well, I'll be damned! If it isn't Officer Friendly himself?!"

Rick didn't respond. Instead, just continuing to stare at Merle, with a cold stare.

"So, you're probably thinking about this baby, aren't ya?" Merle said, showcasing his prosthetic arm.

"No." Rick said, firmly.

"You've got some balls to be showing your face to me, especially after the rooftop. Why shouldn't I kill you where you stand?" Merle said, pulling his pistol out.

Rick pulled out his revolver and the two men stared at each other. Merle chuckled.

"Well, we're really going back in time, aren't we? It's like an old fashioned draw, ya know?" Merle said, chuckling.

Rick continued to stare, but Merle looked closely at his eyes. _Why are they so damn dark?_

"Where's the rest of the group?"

"They're at a prison somewhere, I don't remember."

Merle nodded. "Daryl's there?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, he's fine."

Merle chuckled. "Alright, how 'bout this? I'll put my weapon away and I'll take you back to Woodbury. Then you can show me where this prison is. Deal?"

Rick smiled, however, it appeared crooked. "Yeah, that sounds fine."

Dale looked at Carl. "Are you sure?"

Carl eyes began to water as he looked at Dale. "I don't know where he is."

Dale hugged Carl. "It's going to be okay. We'll find him. I swear it to you, we will."

Carl smiled. "Thank you."

Dale smiled back, as Carl began walking from the courtyard, back to the main prison. He stopped for a second and turned back.

"Hey, Dale?" Carl called.

Dale looked back at him. "What is it?"

Carl paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, about before."

Dale smiled. "You don't have to be. You reaction was justified, I probably would have reacted the same way."

"Thank you."

Dale nodded and turned back to the main gates. _It's a shame no one else is really out here. Well, Glenn and Maggie are, but they're always up in the watchtower._ As soon as Dale finished his thought, he looked up at the watchtower that was the closest to the main gate. He saw a figure stand up, a naked back facing him. Dale chuckled as the figure looked back at him, then quickly disappeared behind the watchtower wall.

Dale opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. _They need this. I don't blame them._ He began walking back to the inner courtyard of the prison, his crutches accompanying him. He walked to the main door and grabbed the handle, but the door opened before he could open it. He fell to the ground, but didn't hit his head. Big Tiny exited the door and closed it. He looked at Dale, looking up at him.

"Oh, sorry about that, old dude. Didn't know you were there." Big Tiny said, helping Dale to his feet.

"Oh, it's okay. Thanks. Can you open the door for me?"

"Oh sure." Big Tiny said, as he opened the door.

Dale looked at Big Tiny's other arm and saw a gun in his hand. Big Tiny looked at the gun.

"Oh, I volunteered to do some guard work in the watchtower. This is only for those geeks out there. Although, I know that we shouldn't make too much noise, though."

Dale nodded. "Well, don't fall asleep." He followed with a small chuckle.

Big Tiny nodded. "Are you going in or?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." Dale said, walking inside.

"See you later, old dude." Big Tiny said, smiling.

The door closed behind Dale with a loud thud. He walked into the cafeteria, only to see it empty. _They must be in their cells. Well, Hershel's probably in the clinic._ Dale walked into his cell block to see people sitting down at tables that had been placed in the cell block. They were talking amongst themselves, while the others were in their cells. Dale noticed that there were only a five people in total. _What are they talking about?_ Dale walked up to the table, and Hershel looked up at him.

"Dale, it's good to see you, here, sit down." Hershel said, motioning next to him.

Dale sat down. "What is it?"

"Well, we've been discussing, and we have concluded that the group needs a leader and we've been mentioning a few candidates."

Dale cocked his head. "Who are they?"

"Well, you, myself, T-dog, and Glenn."

Dale looked at T-Dog, sitting across from him. "Is this something that you think you could do?"

T-Dog sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. Although, I think you should do it."

"We should see who everyone else believes should be the leader. A vote."

T-Dog chuckled. "I agree, it's the rational thing to do."

"Alright, we should get the group together. See what they believe." Hershel said, getting up from the table.


	14. Reunited

The group was outside in the courtyard. Hershel was standing in front of them, with Dale, T-Dog, and Glenn by his side.

"So, we have concluded that with Rick's departure, we need a new leader. Standing before you are the candidates that have been chosen." Hershel said, his hands crossed.

Daryl stepped forward. "What makes you the person that choses? You never gave us that opportunity to decide."

"We're giving that to you now. Unless there's anyone else that would like to step forward to take Rick's place?"

The group didn't move a muscle. Daryl simply stepped back and shook his head.

Hershel sighed. "Anyway, we're using this opportunity to re-establish an element from the past that wasn't used with Rick. We will be taking a vote on who should be the next leader, unless anyone has any other suggestions?"

The group didn't respond.

Glenn sighed. "I was really hoping you guys would come up with something."

T-Dog looked at Glenn. "I'm fairly certain we will, it'll just take time."

Glenn nodded. "Yeah."

Hershel looked back to the candidates. "I will be eliminating myself. It's only you three."

Maggie looked at her father with confusion. "Why did you do that?"

"I believe that these three could do better than me. It's up to the group now. Please don't argue, we must make a choice."

Maggie sighed. "Fine."

Hershel began to make his declaration. "Anyone who votes for Dale to assume leadership, please step forward."

The group hesitated at first, but soon people began to move. Hershel stepped forward, followed by Big Tiny, Beth, and finally, Carl. Dale nodded at the people who stepped forward. _Glenn can only win through a landslide, oh god, please let that happen. I know he is best suited for it._

 _"_ Hey, you can't let those prisoners vote. We don't even know 'em." Daryl argued.

"They are, they've helped us, they have a right to participate." T-Dog said, nodding at the prisoners.

Daryl didn't respond, instead, he scoffed and continued shaking his head.

"So, for those who vote for T-Dog, please step forward. Those who voted for Dale may also step forward."

Hershel stepped forward once more, followed by Axel, Glenn, and Beth. Hershel looked at Glenn.

"Are you sure that you want to vote for T-Dog, Glenn?" Hershel asked, concerned.

Glenn simply nodded.

Hershel nodded in response. "Alright, for those who vote for Glenn, please step forward."

Maggie immediately stepped forward, followed by her father. Dale stepped forward, as well as T-Dog. Axel followed shortly after. Hershel looked around and noticed how many people had stepped forward.

"So, it seems that by an almost unanimous vote, Glenn is now our new leader." Hershel said, smiling at Glenn.

Dale sighed in relief, albeit quietly. T-Dog walked up to Glenn and gave him a hug.

"Good job, buddy. I knew you'd make it."

Glenn nodded and hugged T-Dog back. "Why did you vote for me?"

"I wouldn't have the courage to do it. I know you would. I know you'll be good for this group."

Unbeknownst to the group, Carl was very reluctant to accept Glenn as the new leader. _Why not Dale? He knows what he's doing._ Daryl simply scoffed and walked away, back towards the prison.

"Well, we're here." Merle said, showcasing Woodbury to Rick.

Rick simply nodded. "So, who's this governor you keep talking about?"

"He's our leader, probably the best one we've ever had." Merle said, chuckling to himself.

Rick didn't respond, instead, he simply stared at Merle with his dark, cold eyes.

Merle cleared his throat. "Hey, listen, after we talk with the Governor, can you take me to this prison? I would love to see my baby brother again."

"Yes, but I won't come with you. I can't even look at that group, let alone talk with them."

"Agreed. This way." Merle said, walking towards the Governor's home.

Merle walked inside with Rick close behind him. Philip walked into the room and stopped in his tracks when he saw Rick.

"Who's this?" Phillip asked, his hands on his hips.

"This is that officer I told you about. The one that handcuffed me to a goddamn roof."

Phillip chuckled. "And you were merciful?"

"Well, he knows where my brother is. Plus, he doesn't like that group, which I don't like, because they did something or other. What was it again?" Merle asked, turning to Rick.

"I lost those closest to me."

"Right." Merle said, turning back to Phillip.

"Hey, Merle, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Phillip asked, concerned.

"Sure." Merle turned to Rick. "I'll be right back."

Rick simply nodded as Merle followed Phillip into an empty room. Rick heard the front door open behind him and saw a woman with blonde hair enter the room. He couldn't believe his eyes at first, until the woman dropped the plate she was holding. It shattered, causing food to spill on the floor.

"Rick, is that you?" the woman asked, recovering from her shock.

"Andrea?" Rick responded, clearly stunned.

"What's going on?" Phillip asked, walking out of his room.

He noticed Rick and Andrea staring at each other. "Do you guys know each other?"

Andrea turned to Phillip. "Yes, we were in a group a long time ago, I haven't seen him for a while."

"So you came from the same group?"

"Yeah."

Phillip nodded.

"Rick, is Dale okay? Have you seen him?" Andrea asked, walking up to Rick.

Rick began to recall memories that he had intentionally shoved into his subconscious.

"Yes, he's fine. I just can't even think about them right now."

Andrea appeared confused. "What did they do?"

"They let my family die, I couldn't help them anymore."

"Where are they?" Andrea asked, hoping to receive an answer.

"They're in…" Rick stopped himself and turned to Phillip and Merle, who were observing them.

"Do you want revenge, Rick?" Phillip asked, walking towards him.

Rick hesitated. "No, I just want to get away from them. They've caused me nothing but trouble."

"What about Carl?" Andrea asked.

Rick turned to her. "I don't know. I thought he died too."

Phillip turned to Merle and whispered in his ear. "Do you know where his group is?"

"Yeah, they're in a prison not too far from here." Merle whispered back.

"Follow me, I have a map in my room." Phillip said, walking back into the room he had come from.

He shut the door behind Merle and began searching through his desk. He found his map and sprawled it out on his desk. They began to trace the map with their fingers.

"Found it!" Merle said, pointing to text that said, "West Georgia Correctional Facility".

"Keep your voice down." Phillip said, turning back to his door. "We can take the prison for Woodbury, our people need a secure place to live."

Merle looked at Phillip. "If you're going to do that, don't hurt my brother."

Phillip simply stared at Merle. "I can't promise that."

Dale observed from the prison watchtower. He was sitting in a chair that Glenn had brought up there. He looked beneath him to see his RV sitting there. He parked it perfectly for it to show his wife's name. He smiled as he saw it. He looked up and saw movement in the distance. He immediately aimed his rifle at the movement and believed it to be a walker. He cocked his rifle and waited for its head to come into view. As soon as its head was visible, he stared through the scope, no longer hoping to shoot it. It was a black woman, making her way towards the prison, limping her way towards the gate. He lowered the rifle and climbed down the stairs, moving as fast as his crutches would allow him. He made his way over to the gate and watched as the woman approached the gate. She clutched the gate tightly as she began to speak.

"Please, help me." She said, holding her bleeding leg.


	15. Another survivor

Dale didn't know how to react to the sight of the injured woman in front of him. He simply stared at her, curious as to how she received her injury. His response almost felt natural.

"Were you bitten?"

The woman shook her head and gave Dale a look of desperation. He didn't hesitate; he opened the gate and the woman limped inside. Dale quickly closed the gate, as walkers were beginning to move towards them. The woman turned back to Dale and gave him a slight smile.

Dale looked at her with sympathy. "Let's get you inside. Hershel can take care of that injury for you."

The woman simply nodded and followed Dale into the prison. Before he opened the main door, he looked back to the woman.

"What's your name?"

The woman hesitated. "Michonne."

"Welcome, Michonne."

Dale opened the door and walked inside, with Michonne following him closely. They entered the prison cafeteria, where the rest of the group was located. Glenn noticed Michonne and immediately stood to his feet.

"Dale, who is that?"

The elderly man cleared his throat. "This is Michonne. I found her outside and she's hurt…bad." Dale turned to Hershel, who was sitting next to Glenn. "Can you treat her?"

Hershel nodded and walked over to Michonne, who pulled back from him.

"It's okay, I'm a doctor. I have no intention on hurting you, please let me treat that wound."

Michonne didn't respond, but hesitantly followed Hershel into another room. Once the door closed, Glenn walked over to Dale.

"Can we talk outside for a moment?"

Dale nodded and followed Glenn outside.

Glenn sighed. "I know that you couldn't help it, but I really think that you should've told me something, before just allowing her to come in."

"If I didn't let her in, the walkers would've killed her. There was no time and I had the chance to save someone's life."

Glenn shook his head. "I know, you're probably right, but these last few months have changed me, I don't know about you. Sometimes, the people that you save only turn on you, kill you while you're not looking."

Dale sighed. "I know you don't want me to die, but I would rather die saving another human life, rather than let myself become a monster. I know your feelings are conflicted, but I can help you, very much like I did with Rick."

Glenn nodded. "I really don't know what to think, Dale. I just imagine something bad happening to Maggie, I've even had dreams about it. I just don't want to compromise the group's safety. I'm sure you understand."

Dale put his hand on Glenn's shoulder. "I'm sure that you're making the right choices, however, not every leader is perfect. You know that better than anyone." Dale's voice was calm and soft.

Glenn nodded in response.

The Governor sighed. "Listen, I don't want to do this, but I don't really have a choice. My people need a safe place to stay and, quite frankly, Woodbury isn't good enough. That prison would be a better place and we we're going to get it one way or another."

Rick and Andrea looked at the Governor with fear, their hands bound and their mouths gagged. The Governor simply chuckled at the sight.

"Merle! Keep an eye on these guys, we're moving out in an hour!" The Governor barked.

Merle nodded. "Gotcha."

The Governor walked out of the room and Merle simply stared at Rick and Andrea.

"Listen, I know that my brother's still in there. This ain't personal, but I want him back, and this is the best way, ya hear me?"

Rick looked away.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you!" Merle said, walking up to Rick.

Rick continued to look away, not giving Merle what he wanted. Merle punched Rick in the face, causing him to fall onto the ground. Andrea looked away with tears in her eyes.

"That's what happens when you don't speak, ya hear?!" Merle yelled.

Rick's gag was loosening and it fell from his mouth and onto his neck.

Rick spat out a little bit of blood from his mouth. "Do you think that this is what Daryl wants? He's a valued member of that group."

"By who? That pile of shit, Glenn? The old fart, Dale? That worthless black shit, T-Dog? Oh, speaking of T-Dog, is he still alive?"

Rick shuddered. "Why do you care?"

"I want to know if he got what he deserved."

Rick didn't respond. "I guess you'll have to find out."

"What? You don't lead anymore?"

Rick didn't respond.

"Ah, I see. So they did some horrible things to you too, huh? Why don't you fight with us? Maybe you'll get your freedom."

"I would never kill them."

Merle chuckled. "We'll see about that, Officer Friendly."

Michonne winced as Hershel sutured her wound. Hershel gave her a smile.

"How are you feelin'?"

Michonne winced. "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm your doctor." Hershel said, giving Michonne direct eye contact.

Michonne sighed. "I was shot, so it feels horrible."

"By who?"

"By this guy, Merle, and his goons. They follow some guy called the Governor."

"Why?"

"Because I know their secret, they kill people and take their supplies. People who are just trying to survive, just like us."

Hershel finished his work and looked up at her with surprise.

"I think they're gonna attack this place. I overheard Merle talking to the Governor about it. The Governor even said that they would, saying it would help their town."

Hershel didn't know how to react. He instantly believed her, but didn't know how to respond to it.

"Just stay in here, I'll bring it up with Glenn."

Michonne simply looked at him. "If you don't do anythin', you're gonna die."

Hershel left the room, taking Michonne's katana with him.

"Hey, that's mine!" Michonne yelled.

"It's only for our best interest. You'll get this back, I promise you."

Michonne felt like standing up and taking it, but her leg prevented her from moving. Glenn entered the room and looked at Hershel.

"I want her put in a cell, just to be sure." Glenn said, handing Hershel a pair of keys.

Michonne looked at Hershel, who gave her a nod. "We're not going to hurt you, we just don't know you."

Hershel led the reluctant Michonne to an empty cell and placed her inside, locking the door behind him. Hershel walked over to Glenn and took a deep breath.

"She told me about how she became injured. She was shot by a man named Merle, who was taking orders from a man called the Governor."

Glenn's eyes widened. "Merle. He's still alive?"

"Who is he?"

"He used to be in our group, before we came to your farm."

"Anyway, she told me that the people that he is with kills others for their supplies and she told me that the prison is a target. I feel that she's telling the truth, you may not believe me, but we need to prepare for it."

Glenn sighed. "Hershel, I hope you're wrong."


	16. A welcome return

Rick struggled as he attempted to loosen the binds on his wrists. He squirmed and shook, but they didn't budge. He looked at Andrea, who was sitting next to him. She appeared to be exhausted. Rick spat the gag out of his mouth and began to speak quietly.

"Listen, Andrea, we can't give up. We've gotta get out of here and warn the…the group." Rick said, his sentence reminding him of Carl.

Andrea looked at him, shaking the gag out of her mouth. "How are we going to do that?"

Rick sighed as he began to yank his hands. However, the sweat began to loosen his binds. After a few minutes of continuing this same process, his right hand naturally slipped out. He immediately removed the restraint from his other hand.

"Great, now get me free." Andrea said, turning her back to Rick.

Rick crawled over to Andrea and attempted to remove her bonds. He was confused; these appeared to be tighter on her wrists. Rick felt his side; he was shocked to find his revolver missing. He began searching around the dark room and found a piece of glass, covered with dust. He made his way back over to Andrea.

"Don't move, I don't want to cut you." Rick said, moving the glass carefully towards Andrea.

She nodded in compliance. He quickly cut the binds and she pulled her arms out in front of her, looking at the mark the binds made. They both immediately went silent when they heard footsteps heading towards the room.

"Andrea, get down." Rick said, mimicking his posture from being bound.

Andrea followed his lead and the pair soon appeared identical to their previous states. The door jiggled and opened. It revealed the Governor, with Merle standing directly behind him. In the Governor's right hand, held Rick's revolver.

"Look, we can't risk you warning your group. I'm sure that you understand why we have to this." The Governor said, pointing the gun at Rick.

Rick simply stared at the Governor with anger. Merle chuckled as he looked at Andrea, who appeared terrified.

"Sorry, Rick. That prison can help Woodbury; I'm only doing this for my people and Jenn-" The Governor said, never being able to finish.

Rick swiftly grabbed his revolver and pulled the Governor to the ground, the gun sliding away from Rick and towards Andrea. She quickly grabbed it and aimed the gun at Merle, who was standing shocked.

"Goddamn it!" The Governor yelled, pushing Rick against the wall.

He placed his hands around Rick's throat and began to choke the former leader. Rick thought quickly. He remembered the glass in his hand as he stared at the Governor's menacing face. He moved swiftly, stabbing the glass into the Governor's right eye.

"AHHH!" Phillip yelled, immediately falling back.

Despite this, Andrea kept her gun on Merle. Rick turned to Merle, a crazed look in his eyes.

"Hold on, now." Merle said, his hands raised. _Holy shit. This guy's crazy._

"What do you want me to do, Rick?" Andrea said, keeping her attention towards Merle.

Rick pushed Merle out of the room. Andrea followed him just as quickly.

"Close that door!" Rick yelled at Merle.

Merle complied almost instantly. He shut the door and locked it with the key that he held tightly in his hand. Banging came from the other side.

"Open this door, goddamn it, Merle!" The Governor yelled, slamming on the door.

Rick calmly took his gun back from Andrea, continuing to point it at Merle.

"Is it true? Is my brother still alive?" Merle asked, his hands still raised.

Rick sighed. "Yes, he is. What makes you think you're comin' with us?"

Merle smiled. "I don't think so. I know so. If there's even a chance that my brother's still alive, I'm gonna take it. You can lower the weapon, officer."

Rick frowned and slowly lowered his weapon, holstering it. "Alright then, find us a way out and we'll follow."

"There's a back exit to Woodbury. I'll show you."

"No, you're not." Rick retorted. "You're gonna tell us, we'll check it out, make sure you're tellin' the truth, then we'll go."

"There ain't no guards, not now anyway." Merle said, shaking his head.

Rick sighed. "Fine, lead the way."

Merle smiled and walked towards the door to the room.

"Do you trust him?" Andrea asked, calmly.

Rick looked at her calmly, not responding to her question. Andrea looked back at Merle, who was smiling at her.

"Hurry up!" Rick yelled.

"Don't push me, Officer Friendly. I'm doin' the best I can right now."

Rick cocked his head in frustration, but soon followed Merle out of the room. The further the trio moved away from the room, the less and less screams they heard. They eventually found the main street, which didn't have anyone present, due to the evening curfew. The small group moved swiftly down the street, quickly making their way towards the back of the town. Merle stopped in front of the wall, kneeling down to reveal a large hole in the wall, covered by a piece of sheet metal.

"Told you." Merle said, moving the metal.

Rick looked at Merle. "Alright then. Let's go. You go first, Merle."

Merle sighed. "Alright, don't need to be a little bitch about it, man." He crawled through the hole.

"Well, you next, Rick." Andrea said, smiling at him.

Rick chuckled. "Well, alright then."

Rick crawled through the hole to see Merle standing above him, arms crossed. Andrea soon followed suit and the three of them stood in a small circle.

"Follow me, I know the way to the prison." Rick said, walking in the direction he believed was right.

Andrea and Merle nodded and followed Rick as he walked. Rick was desperate to get back. Memories began to return; him and Carl walking together, living together, surviving together. _Please, let him be ok._

Time quickly passed by as the Governor continued to beat on the wooden door to his cell of sorts. His anger continued to grow and grow until he began to kick the door with full force. The wood splintered as he continued to exert his full force onto the wooden surface. The Governor screamed and made a final kick, busting the door's lock and pushing it fiercely; the door hitting the wall with a thud. The Governor growled. The glass moved as his eye twitched. _They're going to pay for this._

Dale watched from the guard tower; an almost average day for him. He looked down at his missing foot, but looked away quickly, trying not to remember it. The atmosphere was very serene; so quiet that he felt that he could hear his own heartbeat. However, he did hear movement coming from the woods in front of the guard tower. Dale looked through the scope of his rifle in attempt to see what it was. He saw movement, but couldn't tell if it was a walker or not. He followed the bodies, but made the note that they moved way too fast for walkers. His mouth was agape when they exited the woods onto the dirt path leading to the prison. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. _Andrea! Thank God she's ok! And Rick, he's ok too!_ Dale quickly climbed down the ladder of the watchtower; his crutches waiting for him at the bottom. He snatched them and quickly left the tower, making his way to the gate. Rick looked at Dale with sadness, but Dale gave a nod to him.

"Oh God! Dale!" Andrea yelled, running towards the gate.

Andrea collided with the gate, mere centimeters from Dale. Rick and Merle slowly approached the gate. Dale knew that he was supposed to inform Glenn, but he knew Glenn would understand. He opened the gate and the trio walked inside. Dale turned to Rick, who had tears in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Rick. Carl's waiting for you." Dale said, smiling.


End file.
